Patients who are intubated with an endotracheal (ET) tube are typically intubated to provide acute or chronic treatment with mechanical ventilation, but intubation is also associated with an increase in morbidity. Because ET tubes generally utilize an inflatable balloon or seal between the tube and the walls of the trachea to prevent aspiration or passage of fluids and debris into the trachea, small pools of pathogen-containing secretions may pool in the region above the inflatable balloon, which is typically the subglottic space. If the balloon forms an incomplete seal, small channels may develop between the balloon walls and the walls of the trachea through which debris and subglottic secretions pass into the lower respiratory tract.
In some instances, a suction catheter may be positioned to clear this debris or secretions via suction. Due to limited space in the airway of an intubated patient, these suction catheters tend to be small in diameter and as a result, very flexible. This flexibility may make the suction catheter difficult to manipulate, which may limit the ability of a practitioner to be able to position the suction catheter at a desired location within the airway.